Towers of London
"Towers of London" is a song by Andy Partridge. It appeared on and was released as a single for the 1980 album Black Sea. It reached No. 31 on the UK singles chart. A live version appeared on BBC Radio 1 Live in Concert, later on the 1998 Transistor Blast box set. A rejected single version appeared on the 2002 Coat of Many Cupboards box set. Single tracklisting UK doublepack #A-side: "Towers of London" #B-side: "Set Myself on Fire (live)" :-Plus bonus single- #A-side: "Battery Brides (live)" #B-side: "Scissor Man (BBC version)" UK single #A-side: "Towers of London" #B-side: "Set Myself on Fire (live)" Holland single #A-side: "Towers of London" #B-side: "Battery Brides (live)" Quotes Andy: “Supposed to be a bit Beatlesy. . .” Colin: “I think it was more akin to Ray Davies. . .” Andy: “Really? I always had ‘Rain’ in mind. . .” Andy (on the BBC Radio 1 version): “A brisk, blacksmith approved stroll through ‘Towers of London’, architectural detail applied in liberal dollops on the end of a Gibson guitar by Sir Christopher Gregory. (I always wanted to burst into singing the Beatles' ‘Rain’ over the end of this number.) Somebody had knocked over Dave's ‘Les Paul’ and he hadn't time to rectify the charming (Ahem) ‘Youth Club’ tuning it had acquired.” Andy (on the rejected single version): “This ode to the sad romance of London's Victoria era navvies was written largely (and appropriately) in the coal shed of 46 Kingshill Road, Swindon. I cleared the coal out, whitewashed it, and sat in my own dungeon, strumming. We started what was to become the Black Sea album in the old Polygram Studios, Stanhope Place, (which I think Paul Weller bought up a little later) and this was one of the first cuts. Virgin asked us to get this ready up front after picking it out as a potential single. “I can't think why we didn't use this version. It's a little slower than the later Townhouse recording. And it does have an acoustic guitar backbone, but to my ears now, this only gives it a more loping swing. Anyway, this take was shelved. The thin reedy chord swells you hear in the verses came courtesy of Steve Lillywhite's new toy, an Archer amp and speaker, about the size of a matchbox. Steve had just worked with Peter Gabriel whose keyboard player would use one to tune up his synths with, quietly, so as not to disturb the others in the band. Steve thought everything sounded fantastic through it, so he rushed down to Tandy's and bought one of his own. “When compiling this set, we found some banter between Terry Chambers and Steve Lillywhite at the start, claiming this too, was take one hundred and three, a running gag at the time. Check out the top of the Black Sea version.” Lyrics Towers of London when they had built you did you watch over the men who fell Towers of London when they had built you Victoria's gem found in somebody's hell Pavements of gold leading to the underground Grenadier Guardsmen walking pretty ladies around fog is the sweat of the never never navvies who pound spikes in the rails to their very own heaven Towers of London when they had built you did you watch over the men who fell Towers of London when they had built you Victoria's gem found in somebody's hell Bridges of muscles spanning so long and high merchants from Stepney walking pretty ladies by rain is the tears of the never never navvies who cry for the bridge that doesn't go in the direction of Dublin Towers of London when they had built you did you watch over the men who fell Towers of London when they had built you Victoria's gem found in somebody's hell And I've seen it in a painting and I've seen it in engraving and I've seen it in their faces clear as children's chalk lines on the paving And I've seen it in a painting and I've seen it in engraving and I've seen it in their faces clear as children's chalk lines on the paving Towers of London when they had built you did you watch over the men who fell Towers of London when they had built you Victoria's gem found in somebody's hell Towers of London la la Londinium Videos Promo Promo video for "Towers of London." Uploaded by YouTube user "23Daves." Category:Discography Category:Videography Category:Songs by Andy Partridge